Frederick Ashton's ballet Ondine is going to be relayed live into digital cinemas across the UK and Europe via satellites on 3rd June (7:30pm UK/8:30pm Europe). This Royal Ballet production marks the 50th anniversary since the ballet's creation for Margot Fonteyn in 1958.

Royal Ballet Principal Guest Artist Miyako Yoshida plays Ondine, the mischevious water sprite, and Royal Ballet Principal Edward Watson her mortal love interest Palemon. Highlights from the performance include the famous shadow dance in Act 1 and a dramatic ship wreck in Act 2.

"I don't play handsome princes or anything," he laughs. "I don't do ballets like Swan Lake or Sleeping Beauty or Nutcracker, I don't get away with those roles.

"It's not that I don't understand or appreciate them, but there are people who do it a hell of a lot better than me and I don't really have a great interest in doing them."

Instead, Watson prefers the Kenneth MacMillan repertoire, or more modern works from Wayne MacGregor or Christopher Wheeldon.

Clearly Mr Watson is aware of his limitations and I can't help but admire him for that. One of my ballet going highlights the year so far was seeing him dance in the Royal Opera's Acis and Galatea together with Daniele de Niese: a remarkable performance.

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